THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapter 2)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Ben Bailey:
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1)
I’m Ben Bailey.
Timothy Sparks:
And I’m Timothy Sparks. Welcome to our study of the Book
of Ephesians. This message is being brought to you by your friends in the
Ben Bailey:
In Ephesians 2,
we’re going to see that it is in Christ’s church where reconciliation takes
place. Paul stresses this idea in Ephesians 2:16, “That He might reconcile them
both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the
enmity.” The “both” in that sentence refers to Jews and Gentiles. Remember the
point of Ephesians 1:22-23—the body is the church. So it is in the body—the
church—where reconciliation occurs. But before Paul actually gets to the point
of reconciliation, he first reminds the Ephesians of their former state. He
begins chapter 2 by saying that, previously, they were “dead in their
trespasses and sins.” In chapter 1, Paul had reminded the Christians in
Timothy Sparks:
If any one of us had been the only rebellious sinner this world had ever seen, God still would have sent His Son Jesus to die for our redemption. He did exactly that, in fact. Paul therefore stresses the grace of God in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” If we are going to be saved at all, it’s by the grace of God that we will be redeemed and delivered from our sins. It’s not by our own meritorious works. We don’t “earn” our salvation. Nor do we deserve to be saved. But God gives us the opportunity anyway. Grace is a free gift that comes “through faith.” The word “faith” also can be rendered faithfulness. It is by faithful obedience and compliance to the Word and the will of God that we are saved. Yet we cannot be saved apart from God’s grace. Grace and faith go hand in hand. We’re not saved by grace only. Nowhere in the New Testament will you find that we are saved by grace only. Nowhere in the New Testament will you find that we are saved by faith only, either. As a matter of fact, the only time in the entire New Testament where the terminology “faith alone” (or “faith only”) is used is in James 2:24, where learn that we are not justified by faith only. Our faithfulness is how we receive the gift of God’s grace.
Ben Bailey:
Paul reminded the Ephesians of their sinful state, but he also reminded them of the great gift of God’s grace We, too, need to be reminded of these things. We sometimes fall short of God’s will for us. Isaiah said, “The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isa. 59:1-2). God is separated from His people, not by His choice, not because He wants to be, but because of the choice we have made to sin. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” In Ecclesiastes 7:29, Solomon alluded to the fact that we have “sought out many schemes.” It’s a sad fact, but it’s a fact of which we need to be reminded: we do sin! But doesn’t that make the grace of God so much more wonderful! Grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” What a wonderful thought—to know that God loved me enough to give me the gift of His Son, so I could be free from my sins and live with Him forever in Heaven.
Timothy Sparks:
All of this means, of course, that there is something we need do. We’ve been saved, and now we are to serve. Notice Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship created in Christ for good works.” This obviously means that God has something for you and me to do once we obey the Gospel of Christ. Let me give you a personal illustration on this word, “workmanship.” I was at a tire station having a new tire put on my car, and I was talking to the man doing the work. I asked, “Does this tire have any kind of warranty?” He replied, “Yes, workmanship and materials.” I said, “I understand the ‘materials,’ but what do you mean by ‘workmanship’?” He was installing the tire at that time, and so he said, “That’s what I’m doing right now.” He was exactly right. Workmanship is the fruit of our work. God has work for each of us to do. While we cannot earn or merit our salvation, and we while we cannot work to obtain salvation, the fact remains that God does have work for us to accomplish. God has a plan for how we are to aid in the dissemination of His Word. We are to go everywhere— into all nations—preaching the Word of God (Acts 8:4). God has stated that it is through humans that His Word will be sown. Paul’s comments in Ephesians 2:10 helps us to see that we, as Christians, have an awesome responsibility to take the soul-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
Ben Bailey:
Christians are called for a purpose—to glorify God in everything we do. Our life should be one of servanthood. We are to serve God daily as we work in the kingdom. Did you ever wonder what your purpose in life is? God, speaking through Isaiah, said, “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I’ve created for My glory, I have formed him. Yes, I have made him” (Isa. 43:7). We learn two things from this passage. First, we learn that God created us. Second, we learn that we were created “for God glory.” We know, from the teaching of such passages as 1 Corinthians 10:13, that God is not going to put anything upon us that we cannot handle. Later in that same chapter, Paul says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (vs. 31). Our purpose in this life is to serve. Christians are to produce other Christians. Fruit produces according to its kind. We ought to be reaching out to tell others about God’s grace. This is our plea to you today. The message of Ephesians 2 is this. If you are living in a life of sin, God’s grace is offered to you through the message of the Gopspel. If you are not living your life as God would have you to live it, it is our prayer that you will seriously consider obeying the Gospel plan of salvation. Don’t wait any longer. Do what the Bible says you must do. Receive God’s grace by obeying the plan of salvation we find in the New Testament. When people in the first century became Christians, they simply did what God told them to do. There’s a great need for God’s grace in your life. If you have not received God’s grace, don’t wait another moment. Do what God wants you to do—now!
Timothy Sparks:
In Ephesians 2:12, Paul talked about the Gentiles, who
were “without Christ, being aliens from the
Ben Bailey:
Yes, and such a reconciliation
takes place only in the church that we read about in the New Testament. Paul
says in Ephesians 2:14, “And He Himself [Jesus Christ] is our peace, Who has made
both one, having broken down the middle wall of separation.” What was it that
separated the two classes of people, Jews and the Gentiles? What wall of
separation divided those people? It was the Old Law. The Law of Moses was given
only to the Israelites, and became a source of division between the Jews and
the Gentiles. The Jews looked down on the Gentiles, and the Gentiles really
didn’t care too much for the Jews, either. But Christ, through the Gospel,
broke down the wall of separation. He “abolished in His
flesh the enmity the law of commandments contained in ordinances so as to
create in Himself one new man from the two, making peace” (vs.15). Paul is
commenting on how that reconciliation takes place only in the body—the church —and
only through Jesus. This is a point that many people miss. There are many
people in our world today who are trying to get to Heaven without Jesus Christ.
They (wrongly) do not give Jesus the place of honor and glory He rightly
deserves. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” You
cannot get to Heaven through Muhammad, or any other mere man. That’s not the
way God set it up. It’s only through His Son Jesus Christ that we can attain
Heaven. Jesus is the One Who broke down the wall of separation between Jews and
Gentiles. This is an important passage as it relates to the law under which we
live today. Remember that God gave the Old Law to Moses and the people of
Timothy Sparks:
In Ephesians 2, Paul discusses at some length the concept
of salvation through the New Covenant. Christ, he says, “preached peace to
those who are afar off, and to you who are near” (vs.
17). The phrase, “those who are afar off,” is a reference to the Gentiles, while
“you who are near” refers to the Jews. Christ is the only One Who makes peace
possible. We find throughout the Bible that it is our sins that separate us
from our God. (Isa. 59:1-2) But Jesus is the One Who
brings peace. He is “
Ben Bailey:
The idea of reconciliation means “to make friends again, to renew a relationship.” As we think about the overall theme of Ephesians—God is to be glorified in the church—we see how Ephesians 2:16 complements this idea by telling us that we can be reconciled to God only in the church. It is in the church that God has reconciled both Jew and Gentile through the cross. But at what point am I reconciled to God? The answer is: when I become a part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The church was not an afterthought in the mind of God. Ephesians 3:10-11 tells us it was the eternal plan of God. The church is not something that is unimportant. Many people today want to say, “Christ, yes, but the church, no.” You cannot separate the head from the body. And you cannot separate Christ from the church. If we are going to be reconciled to God, that can happen only in the church. Acts 2 is a prime example. The Jews on the Day of Pentecost were cut to the heart when they realized they had crucified Jesus. They cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins” (vs. 38). Acts 2:47 provides a commentary on what happened next. “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The people on that occasion were reconciled to God when they obeyed the Gospel and were added to the body of Jesus Christ—the church. The most monumental events in all of history are the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing is more important. Everything previous to the cross looks forward to those three things, and everything after it hinges on them. The cross is the centerpiece of God’s love for each one of us. Today, if you’ve not been reconciled to God, we urge you to become a Christian. Nothing in your life could be more important than that.
Timothy Sparks:
The church is the household, the family, of God. In
Ephesians 2:19, Paul says, “So then, you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of the household of God.” We
are part of the household, the family, of God. No one has to be remain in a
lost condition, alienated from God. The “good news” of the Gospel is that you can be saved. The good news of Jesus
Christ is that you don’t have to go to Hell. You don’t have to be lost. You can
be saved and go to Heaven. But only you can make that decision. The devil is
going to be fighting against you, but God is for you. If you are lost, you will
have no one else to blame. You can’t say, “The devil made me do it.” You can’t
say, “It was my parents’ fault, my brother’s fault, my sister’s fault, or my
children’s fault.” You will have only yourself to blame if you miss Heaven. God
provides every spiritual blessing for us. He provides peace and reconciliation.
If you are lost, you can be restored to a right relationship with God. You can
be made one again with Him. You can walk in His light. You can be part of the
Ben Bailey:
As we think about the Lord’s will, we must consider the change that Paul discusses in Ephesians 2. Examine your own spiritual life. Take to heart the message of Ephesians 2. If you are not a Christian, you need to realize that you are spiritually dead, and that ultimately you will spend eternity in Hell. But you don’t have to stay lost! As Paul reminds us in Ephesians, God’s grace that has been extended to us. Think about all the things that we receive as a result of that grace. We are God’s workmanship. We have a real purpose in life. We receive an eternal inheritance with God. We have hope and peace. We are part of the greatest family imaginable.
What does the New Testament teach
that you must do in order to receive God’s grace? Titus 2:11-13 teaches us that
the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Think of it
this way. Grace is here. It has been extended to all men. But what must you do to access that grace? The New Testament is a book that we can understand
(Eph. 3:4) And when we do what it says, we can have assurance that we’re saved.
To be a child of God, I first must have faith in Jesus Christ. The Hebrew
writer says that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).
This is the idea of obedient trust—a belief that motivates you to action. Jesus
said in John 8:24, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will surely die in
your sins.” Belief alone, however, is not enough to save. James
The members of the churches of Christ in your area would be happy for you to visit them. They also would be pleased to discuss spiritual matters with you. If you would like a copy of today’s broadcast, we will be glad to make it available. You can visit us on our website at www.thegospelofchrist.com. Send us an e-mail, write us, or call us to state your request. We also provide streaming audio and video lessons on our website. As always, it is our fervent prayer that you will continue to accept the Word of God as His will, and that you will conform your will to the will of God through the Gospel of Christ.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
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We encourage you to attend the
1. According to Ephesians 2, what takes place in the church?
2. In Ephesians 2:16, Paul refers to two different groups when he uses the word “both.” Who are those two groups?
3. What was located in the city of
4. According to Ephesians 2:8-9, what saves us?
5. According to Ephesians 2:8-9, what does not save us?
6. Where is the only place in the New Testament that the phrase “faith only” or “faith alone” is used?
7. In the passage referred to in question #6 above, what is said about “faith only” or “faith alone”?
8. What is the connection between Romans 3:23 and Isaiah 59:1-2?
9. According to Ephesians 2:10, why were we created?
10. According to Isaiah 43:7, why were we created?
11. Explain the connection between Ephesians 2:10 and Isaiah 43:7.
12. In Ephesians 2:12, Paul talked about a
group of people who were “aliens from the
13. According to Ephesians 1:7, what redeems us?
14. In Ephesians 2:14, Paul stated that Christ “broke down the middle wall of separation.” What was that wall?
15. According to Ephesians 2;15, what resulted from the breaking down of the wall mentioned in question #14 above?
16. Hebrews 9:16-17 states that there is only one way for a will to go into effect. What is it?
17. Paul said in Romans 15:4 and Galatians 3:24 that the Old Testament is still useful to Christians in two ways. What are those two ways?
18. Ephesians 2:17 refers to a group of people who were “afar off.” Who are they?
19. Who is the “
20. Where is the only place that we, as sinners, can be reconciled to God?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,